Pakistan’s army has sentenced to death the former naval Kulbhusn Jadhav. Pakistan says Kulbhushan is a RAW agent. Apart from espionage for India, they have been accused of spreading the instability of Balochistan. Jadhav has been sentenced by a military court under the Field General Court Marshal. The Pakistan Army’s ‘Inter Services Public Relations’ Wing released this information today by issuing a press release.
There has been a sharp reaction to the death sentenced of Kulbhushan in the whole country. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar made it clear that if Pakistan executes the death penalty, then Pakistani prisoners locked in India will not be left. Sarabjit Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur has said that India should take up this case in the International Court of Justice.
In March last year, Jadhav’s arrest came to light when Pakistan released a video of him. It was described as the confession of Kulbhushan. In this video, Kulbhushan seems to be saying that he is the serving officer of the Indian Navy and is currently working for RAW. According to the video, Kulbhushan started working for RAW from 2013. In Pakistan, his name was Hussain Mubarak Patel. After starting a business in Chabahar, Iran, he contacted the Baloch leaders and worked underground to promote segregation. In the video, he also admitted that he was involved in activities in which Pakistani citizens were killed.
At present, there is no definitive information about the truth of this video. We do not know if there was any pressure on him or not, by saying his words in this video. But there are some things that draw attention:
- The video is not seamless. There are more cuts than usual.
- The video is shot on a multi-camera setup. Angle changes every few minutes. It seems unusual in a government confession video.
- In addition, there are lots of stuck in the video. It seems that by saying every word they agree somewhere and then move on.
- Kulbhushan is saying in the video that he will retire from Navy in 2022. According to his family, he had applied for voluntary retirement from Indian Navy.
- According to the Government of India, RAW officer Anil Kumar Gupta, who belongs to Kulbhushan, an officer of that name does not work on the Joint Secretary or any other rank.
Government of India stance
The Indian government has given a sharp reaction to this matter. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar has told Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit that if Kulbhushan was hanged, then India would consider him as a “thought-provoking murder”. Jaishankar said that India tried 13 times to help Kulbhushan but every time Pakistan denied it. No information was given to the High Commissioner of India to the trial run on Kulbhushan in Pakistan. The Government of India assumes that Kulbhushan was an officer in the Indian Navy. But the matter of being his RAW agent has been turned down.
Pakistan has been saying that Kulbhushan was arrested from Balochistan. But Jaishankar says that he was kidnapped from Iran. Kulbhushan used to trade in Chabahar Free Trade Zone of Iran. That is why the Government of India is also taking help from Iran in this case.
Who is Kulbhushan?
Kulbhushan is a resident of Panvel. According to media reports, his passport is made from Thane Passport Office and it is written by Hussein Mubarak Patel. Kulbhushan’s father Sudhir Jadhav is an Additional Commissioner of Police in Mumbai Police. His mother is currently living in his flat at Panvel. Only after getting the news of his arrest that there is strong security around his house.
